Ambedkar had proposed Sanskrit as official language: CJI Sharad Bobde
Nagpur, Apr 14: Chief Justice of India Sharad Bobde on Wednesday said B R Ambedkar had proposed Sanskrit as the "official national language" of India as he understood the political and social issues well and knew what the people wanted.
The CJI also said the ancient Indian text "Nyayshastra" is "not a bit" inferior to Aristotle and the Persian system of logic, and "there is no reason why we should forsake, overlook, and not benefit from the geniuses of our ancestors".
CJI Bobde was speaking at the inauguration of the academic building of the Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU) here in Maharashtra.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackrey, Union minister and Nagpur MP Nitin Gadkari and others participated in this event virtually.
Remembering B R Ambedkar on his 130th birth anniversary, the CJI said, "Today morning, I was in a fix about which language should I deliver this speech. Today is the birth anniversary of Dr Ambedkar which reminds me that the conflict between the language to be used while speaking and the language to be used during work is very old".
He said the Supreme Court gets many representations on what should be the language of subordinate courts, but I feel this subject is not being looked into.
"But Dr Ambedkar had anticipated this aspect and he had mooted a proposal saying that the official language of the Union of India should be Sanskrit," the CJI said.
The CJI said he cannot recall whether that proposal, which had signatures of some Maulvis, pandits, priests and Ambdekar, was tabled (in the constituent Assembly).
"It was Ambedkar's opinion that since Tamil is not acceptable in north India it might be opposed there and likewise Hindi will be opposed in south India. But, there is less possibility of opposition to Sanskrit in north India or south India and hence he had mooted that proposal, but it did not succeed," CJI Bobde said.
The chief justice of India said Ambedkar possessed knowledge of not only about the law but he also knew social and political issues very well.
"He knew what the people, the poor of the country wanted. He had full knowledge about all these aspects and I feel that is why he thought of putting up this proposal," the CJI said.
He said the law school is a nursery of the legal profession.
"Law school is the nursery from which springs forth the harvest of our legal profession as well as judges. Dreams of many people have come true with the Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU)," the CJI said.
He further said the MNLU intended to "impart a national outlook to students and faculty who are drawn from all over the country".
"There is no regionalism and no narrow-mindedness and this distinguishes a national law university from any other kind," he said.
CJI Bobde said two unique courses are taught at the MNLU including a course that will produce judges much on the lines of the National Defence Academy (NDA) which not only produces soldiers but officers, and the other course is on 'Nyayshastra'.
"The Indian judicial system was inherited from the British which uses logic and the origin of logic is Aristotle.
But the 'Nyayshastra' which was developed in India is not the least bit inferior to Aristotle or the Persian system of logic.
"I see no reason why we should forsake, overlook and not benefit from the geniuses of our ancestors and that is how this course began which is unique," CJI Bobde said.
The CJI is set to retire on April 23. He will be succeeded by Justice NV Ramana as his successor.
Speaking on the occasion, CM Thackrey congratulated the MNLU saying the state government will always support the judiciary and its institutions.
He appealed to MNLU teachers to hone students well so that after becoming judges or lawyers they will always uphold the values of democracy.
"B R Ambedkar not just practised law in the court but he fought on roads for equal social justice," the CM said.
He appealed to students graduating from the MNLU that their training and expertise should help the underprivileged sections of society.
On the occasion, Gadkari appreciated the contribution of Bobde as the CJI, Justice Bhushan Gavai, former SC judge Vikas Sirpurkar apart from ex-CM Devendra Fadnavis and Thackrey in realising the dream of the MNLU in Nagpur.
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Post poll TN alliances divided in supporting TVK
Chennai (PTI): In a changed political atmosphere in Tamil Nadu with no single political party having a simple majority to form the government post the Assembly election, opinion is divided among the allies led by the Dravidian majors in extending external support to Vijay-led TVK in government formation.
Both the DMK and AIADMK are at unease as the Congress and also a section in the AIADMK express willingness to extend external support to Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagtam in forming the government.
Post poll, the TVK's political prospects appear to impact alliances led by both the Dravidian majors in a different manner, triggering a speculation of a split.
Leema Rose Martin, who won from Lalgudi on an AIADMK ticket, has stated that talks were underway on extending support to the TVK. Her son-in-law Aadhav Arjuna, who won from Villivakkam is TVK's general secretary.
On May 5, former AIADMK minister O S Manian, emerging from his meeting with party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, stated that AIADMK would not support TVK in forming the government.
The AIADMK, which finished third in the elections with 47 seats has cancelled its meeting of MLAs designate on Wednesday amidst a difference in extending external support to the TVK, which won 108 seats, including two seats by its founder Vijay.
As Vijay is gearing up for his swearing-in on May 7, the police have tightened security at his residence here. The party has lodged its MLA-elect at a resort in Mamallapuram and has simultaneously engaged in talks with the Congress and AIADMK, a source said.
The DMK that won 59 seats on its own, has convened a meeting of its newly elected legislators on May 7 evening and the party is likely to elect the youth wing secretary Udhayanidhi Stalin, who won from Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni as its legislature party leader.
Congress general secretary K C Venugopal admitted that TVK chief Vijay requested the Congress for support to form the government.
"The INC is clear that the mandate in Tamil Nadu is for a secular government, committed to protecting the Constitution in letter and spirit. The INC is determined not to allow the BJP and its proxies to run the government of Tamil Nadu in any manner. Thiru Vijay has also spoken about drawing inspiration from Perunthalaivar Kamaraj," he said.
Accordingly, the Congress leadership has directed the TNCC to take a final decision on Vijay’s request, keeping in view the sentiments of the state as reflected in the electoral verdict, Venugopal said in a statement.
DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai slammed the Congress decision and said the move to ally with TVK, pledging the support of its five MLAs to the party, was tantamount to "backstabbing the DMK and the people of Tamil Nadu."
"They have betrayed the mandate given by the people. Even before the ink on the returning officer’s signature on the victory certificate has dried, they have chosen to go ahead with this alliance," he told PTI.
The most important question was who took this "foolhardy decision, and how is it going to backfire on the Congress?" he asked.
"I don’t think they had any serious deliberation on this. The larger issue is their opposition to the BJP, which is their ideological enemy. We have supported the Congress throughout. It was our leader M K Stalin, who named Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate when the BJP and RSS were criticising him. And now, within a day, they say they are supporting TVK. This is not the mandate of the people of Tamil Nadu,” Saravanan said.
The Congress' exit from its long-standing alliance with the DMK will be a significant moment in the political scenario of the state, commentator and political analyst Sumanth Raman said.
The Congress may be betting on the TVK as a long-term partner option, but that comes with risks, as the TVK is as yet an unknown quantity, he said.
"For the DMK, if the TVK+Congress becomes the choice of the minorities as it well could, it is an existential threat. It was the minority vote that gave the DMK alliance a 12%-15% cushion in the polls. If that goes, their chances of winning drops dramatically," Raman said on 'X.'
The Congress won 5 seats. However, DMK's other allies, the IUML, VCK, CPI and CPI (M) and DMDK have categorically stated that they would not support TVK.
As of now, the TVK requires the support of 11 MLAs to attain a simple majority of 118 to form the government.
The PMK, which won 4 seats and AMMK one - both allies of AIADMK - have not announced their decision yet.
"AIADMK’s real post-result drama may not be outside the party, but inside it. Whispers from the west and north suggest that a Coimbatore hand and a Villupuram voice may soon ask the question everyone is avoiding: Is it time to save the party from the leadership, before the cadre are forced to do it themselves? In politics, coups don’t begin with slogans. They begin with silence, phone calls and “review meetings,” Aspire Swaminathan, who is credited with founding the AIADMK IT wing in 2014, said on 'X.'
He has resigned from the AIADMK in 2021 and now acts an as independent political analyst.
